It's no wonder the illustrious Silver Arrow has a special place in the Mercedes team's hearts. The car with the distinctive silver livery has delivered some of its greatest victories -- from successive world championships in the 1950s to the China Grand Prix earlier this month.

Now a new generation of Mercedes stars will be paying homage to the racy little number -- and its most famous driver -- ahead of the DTM season opener this weekend.

Almost 57 years after F1 legend Juan Manual Fangio won the Italian Grand Prix in the Silver Arrow, driver Nico Rosberg will again be getting behind the wheel of the classic car.

Rosberg's career-first F1 win at this month's China Grand Prix is Mercedes' first victory since Fangio in Italy in 1955.

And to mark the occasion, 26-year-old Rosberg will be taking the classic Mercedes W196 for a spin on Saturday before the DTM touring car series season opener at Hockenheim.

"I am absolutely delighted to be returning to Hockenheim as a Grand Prix winner," he said on the Mercedes F1 website.

Mercedes unveil 2012 car 6 photos

Mercedes unveil 2012 car6 photos

Make way for Mercedes – Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher gets behind the wheel of the new F1 W03 at an official preseason test event in Barcelona.

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Mercedes unveil 2012 car6 photos

Success for Schumacher? – The 43-year-old said he is still hungry to achieve success despite entering his 19th season in Formula One. Schumacher is yet to register a podium finish since returning to the sport in 2010.

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Mercedes unveil 2012 car6 photos

In the Nic of time – Nico Rosberg finished the 2011 Formula One season one place and 13 points ahead of compatriot and Mercedes teammate Schumacher.

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Mercedes unveil 2012 car6 photos

Brains and Brawn – Team principal Ross Brawn worked with Schumacher at Italian marque Ferrari, where they won multiple world championships together.

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Mercedes unveil 2012 car6 photos

Beginnings at Benetton – Schumacher became drivers' champion for the first time at Benetton in 1994, before retaining his crown with the team in 1995.

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Mercedes unveil 2012 car6 photos

Formidable Ferrari – The German is best remembered for his time at Ferrari, where he won five consecutive championships between 2000 and 2004 before retiring for the first time in 2006.

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Controversy over Bahrain's Formula One race 9 photos

Controversy over Bahrain's Formula One race9 photos

F1 race stirs up Bahrain activists – Protests against the Bahrain GP have intensified in recent weeks. This graffiti was posted on a wall in the village of Barbar, west of the capital Manama, in April.

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Controversy over Bahrain's Formula One race9 photos

Civil unrest – Bahraini Shiite Muslims in the town of Muharraq take part in a demonstration calling for the cancelation of Sunday's race.

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Controversy over Bahrain's Formula One race9 photos

Calls for change – Hundreds of supporters of Bahrain's main Shiite opposition group Al-Wefaq demonstrated against the government on April 15, 2012.

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Controversy over Bahrain's Formula One race9 photos

Bahrain F1 chief defiant – However, Bahrain International Circuit chairman Zayed Alzayani told CNN that staging the race was not a big risk, and that F1 was not linked to the protesters' concerns.

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Controversy over Bahrain's Formula One race9 photos

F1 supremo's backing – Bernie Ecclestone, the head of Formula One Management, told CNN that sport and politics do not mix after announcing that the Bahrain race would go ahead.

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Controversy over Bahrain's Formula One race9 photos

On the scene – CNN's Fred Pleitgen went to Bahrain to report on the situation, and accompanied riot police as they confronted protesters in the streets.

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Controversy over Bahrain's Formula One race9 photos

Hunger strike – Bahraini Shiite demonstrators hold posters of jailed activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja during a protest calling for his release in the village of Jidhafs, west of Manama, on April 6, 2012.

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Controversy over Bahrain's Formula One race9 photos

Daughter's fear – Al-Khawaja has been on hunger strike for almost two months, and his daughter told CNN she fears for his health.

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Controversy over Bahrain's Formula One race9 photos

F1 regular – Bahrain first held a Formula One race in 2004, but last year's event was canceled due to the civil uprising against the government.

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"Last year, I was able to drive a classic Silver Arrow on the famous Nurburgring Nordschleife, so now I'm really looking forward to climbing into the cockpit of Juan Manuel Fangio's phenomenal W196 streamliner from Monza in 1955 and driving a few laps at Hockenheim.

"It means a lot to me that we have written a new chapter in the wonderful history of Mercedes in motorsport -- and that there is plenty more still to come."

However he still has some catching up to do to his famous Finnish father who collected five race wins in a nine-season career from 1978 to 1986.

"I have great memories of the DTM," Rosberg said.

"The earliest date back to when my father was still racing. Then I started competing in the various junior classes that are staged as part of the DTM race weekend as I started out on my own motorsport career. A lot has happened in the meantime, and the highlight so far was obviously my win in China one week ago."

Rosberg, who failed to repeat his performance in last week's Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing fifth, will be joined on the track by fellow Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher.

The seven-time world champion, who finished 10th in Bahrain, will be behind the wheel of the 2011 Silver Arrow MGP W02 on Sunday.

"After a busy start to the Formula One season with four flyaway races in succession, it will be nice to come back to Germany," said Schumacher, whose younger brother Ralf -- a former F1 competitor -- drives in the DTM series.

"I'm especially looking forward to the chance to give the fans a taste of a Formula One Silver Arrow in action. This will be my first visit to a DTM race in 20 years, and I hope that my brother and his fellow Mercedes-Benz drivers will get their season off to a great start."